Means for producing perpetual inventories



A. P. R. DRucKEa' MENS FOR PRODUCING PERPETAL k-INVIWIORII'IS July 8 1924. 1,500,551

Fi1ed Jan. 14 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet l I; Art )L Ledlher Gaods II. Books XI. Music III. l)'rus XII. .Notions 1V. Elecincul Supplies XIII. D Heal Goods V. fabrics mv. s ortinaeooas VI. Groceries XV S utioner VIL Hardware XVI. TOyS VIII. Househol' Good f XVII. WearmAppurel 1X. Jewelry Mens m Women's' w Chilrens c f DepLlVII m 1. Coats, 1.0 Winter Overcodis 1.01 n wool 1.011 W' Mixture 1.10 Sypr'ms.I di" Light Shaes etc.

z. Sui/a j 2.0 Winter Suits Heavy Woolen 2.01 'I v f 'woolen and cotton f etc.

3. -Headwear' y 3.0 Hats Barbies 3.1 50H: 3.2 Silk etc. e we w. 1.) 1.0 o S ee i5 4:.1 "e6 dress 1.2 v' low.

4h21' .Oxfords 5.90.'...o =u n. 1.211 y' pumps l- A l etc" 5 Shirts 5-0 dress. ...1..-....................... 5.1 v' neli 5.6 vv silk Iv'bvenzfaw ATTORNEY J s, 1924. I Lsoasm A. P; R. DRUCKER MEANS FOR PRODUCING PERPETUAL INVENTORIES Filed Jan. 14, 1922 3 sheeisls'heet 2 Maximum XVI I In Mnmum When io order of Profit l iurfchases Balance` Remarks Ami. No.

Oct.

" Purchases July a. 1.9%;

. l,50,5@5l fA. P. R. DRUCKER MEANS FR PRODUCING PERPETUAL INVENTORIES 'Fuga Jan.'14. 1922 s sheets-sheet s XVI I Tn a of O erans IEX enses werale 'pf of Profigt UJII 6,211 Turnover perlyarr Purchases Sales Balance l 'Remarks 1921 Ng Amt, No. A'mt." No.

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Jan.

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Purchases Memoranda AT1-@magy Patented July 8, 1924.

AARON P. ROBINS DRUCKER, OF COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO.

MEANS FOR PRODU'CINGV PERPETUAL INVE1\l"lOl'/IE}S.

Application led January 14, 1922. Serial No. 529,244.Y

' ATo all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, AARON P. `ltorrrs DRUCKER, residing at Colorado'v Springs,

county of El Paso, State of Colorado, have` `invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Means for Producing Perpetual Inventories; and I do hereby declare the.

following to be alfull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will .enable others skilled in the artto which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to. inventory systems, and its general object is to produce an inventory system which can be applied in any mercantile or manufacturing establishment, no matter how varied or complex its stock, and by meansof which inventories can be had at any desired time with ease and dispatch. A more particular object is to produce an inventory `system whichcan be operated to obtaininventories at regular intervals of comparatively. short duration, whereby there is obtained what may properly be called a perpetuall inventory. Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as this description proceeds.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a particular description of a system embodying my invention,

Fig. l illustrates sections of a catalogue used in the system.

l classilied and catalogued. For this purposeY Fig. 2 represents one of the inventory sheets used in said system.

Fig. 3 shows an inventory sheet of slightly diierent construction.

F ig. 4; shows a form of sales ticket which Ymay advantageously be employed in the system.

For carrying the invention into practice all articles of merchandise in the store where the inventory system is to-be applied are a catalogue is prepared containing a list of the several departments into. which the store is divided, identified by numerical or otherV suitable designations, and a classified list I of all articles belonging in the respective departments. Fig. 1 shows sections of a cata-- 'logue of this kind for a large department store. The departments are identilied by Roman numerals and the articles under the` several departments are classilied according to the Dewey decimal system, but it willJ Thus every article of merchandise in the storehas a peculiar designation indicating the department where the article. is found, its class and subclass. For example, mens soft hats are designated by the symbols XVIIm, 8.1, indicating mens wearing apparel department, class headwear and subclass soft hats. f

Individual to each article thereV is providedan inventory sheet, such as illustrated by' Fig. 2. The several inventory sheets may be arranged in classied order and bound in one or more volumes, but I prefer a loose leaf system as moreflexible and easier to'manipulate.

As illustrated, each leaf has on its upper left hand corner symbols indicating the department, class and subclass ofthe articles pertaining thereto, the particular articles designated in the illustration being mens silk shirts. In the upper right handcorner of each sheet arev printed the legends, MaX imum, Minimum, When to order. Opposite the legend Maximum is printed a number representing' the m animum number or amount of the particular articles which should be in stock, and opposite the legend Minimum is printed a number representing the minimum number or amount of such articles. At the top of the sheet is a space for entering the per cent profit on the particular article. The sheet is further provided with columns for entering the total number and cost of articles purchased each month of the year, similar columns for entering the total number and price of articles sold per month, and similar columns for entering the total numberand cost of the articles on hand at the end of each month, and a column for entering remarks pertinent to the articles pertaining to the sheet.

Formed on the lower part of the sheet are three pockets adapted to receive respectively invoice slips showing the number and cost of articles received, sales slips showing the number andv price of articles sold and memoranda slips relative to the particular articles.

Salesmens pads used in my system have in addition to the usual original and carbon tickets a second carbon, which is preferably formed by transverse perforations intoV a plurality of separable sections, each section adapted to have recorded thereon articles of one class only. When articles of more ,than

lll)

Yie

one class are sold to a purchaser, the diilferent clases of articles are recorded on separate sections, articles of one class only being recorded on a single section. This second carbon ticket goes-to "the inventory clerk, and the purpose of dividing the ticket into easily separable sections is to make it easy for him to divide the ticket into as many sections as there are classes of articles recorded thereon, thus obtaining a separate slip foreach class of articles. Fig. t. illus- -V invoice itself, `if the items on it are all oi' the saine class and subclass, is deposited in the are Ain triplicate.

trates a ticket of this kind. Preferably the ticket is it'ormed of relatively heavy paper,

lso as to facilitate the handling ofl the separate slips into which it is divided.

' Y The foperation of the system is -as follows:

As goods are purchased and received, the

`.purchase pocket of the inventory sheet indi'- vidual to that class Avand subclass. ,It the items 'belong to different subclasses, a. copy of the invoice is made `on separate slips, articles of one class only being recorded on a single slip. The-slips `are then deposited in the purchase pockets of their respective sheets. rIVhus a record to date is kept, in association with each inventory sheet, oi the number and cost of the respective articles received. Y

As heretoforementionech the sales tickets The original goes to the 1c'ustomer`and one carbon to the boolrkeeper, as customary. The second carbon goes to the inventory clerk, whoV separates it into sections or slips, accordin-g to the classes of farticles entered thereon, placing the slips in the sales pockets Vof their respective inventoryfsheets. It only'one sect-ion of the ticket is used, the kclerk detachesft-his section and 1t-iles it in the salles pocket olf its inventory sheet, 4throii'iriifi; away the unused sections. 'Thus 'a record 'lis kept to date, in association with each inventory sheet, of the number and price of the respective articles sold.

At the end of each montlnoi" otener ii nec- Y essaijy,the inventorylclerk will 'insert the'total purchases and sales in the purchase and's'ales columns fin the line of the respective month, 'these totals being obtained by adding the items on the purchase and sales slips 'respecf tively. Next he will calculate the returned sales and purchases of articles of each class and subtracting these respectively 'from the total sales and purchases, he obtains and enters inthe balance columns the number and cost of articles on hand. If the balance is lnear, the minimum indicated by tli'eii'iimbe'r in the upper right hand cor-ner *of theV Y sheet, lie-will fiiag the sheet with a `:red flag to call the managers attention to that lfact. Any pertinent remarks made by a customer or salesman with regard to an article are noted on Vslips and deposited in the memo' randa pocket 'of the sheet pertaining to `of the article. Y Y My system has many advantages, among that article; and thesenotes lare entered monthly, or oftener, in the remarks column in the line of the respective month.

Fig. 3 shows an inventory sheet of slightly diie'rent construction from that shown in Fig. 2. In the construction illustrated by Fig. 3 the purchase and sales pockets at the bottom of the sheetare each divided into a plurality of sections, orV separate pockets, each pocket "adapted tothe size ot the slips and adapted to khold a delinite numberoiV slips. The memoranda lpocketconsistsio-f a number of graduated sections or pockets. Further, the top of the sheet lias provision for the insertion'of data showing the Vper :t

cent of operating expenses yapportioned Vto the particular article,` the average per cent of profit thereon the more obviousro'f which may be men` tioned :the following:

It gives -a comprehensive statement of the movement oi' the Agoods for a year in monthly totals. Y

It enables the buyer `to see at a glance when there is a need to replenishv 'goods and when there is enough of an article in stock. v'It gives the management a ready means for ascertaining which articles pay or'them selves and which donot. j c Y Y It assembles and -c'lassiliesVa-'llimportant remarks, suggestions etcumade by thesales people or customers with regard to the various articles, whereby -this data Vcan. be used to the best advantage by the management;

VI have endeavored to describe a systemv parting ro-mithe spiritV of my invention. 1

Other changes and perhaps improvements could be imade in the speciiic embodimentdescribed without changing the real essentials Aofthe system.

I claim :V

l. Means iorfmaintaining a perpetual inventory of :goods grouped into classes, `comprising -a ser-ies of record sheets each bearing indicia "denoting one class only, each sheet being provided 'withspaces marked tor the reception of data relative totetalV purchases and sales of `goods in said class during a certa-in period ottime, with similar spaces marked for the reception of data relative to the amount of kgoods in said class V,and the annual turnover lit) left in stock, and with spaces marked for the reception of data relative to the maximum and minimum amount of goods of said class to be kept in stock.

2. Means for maintaining a perpetual inventory of goods grouped into classes, comprising, in combination With invoice slips and sales slips issued during the regular order of business, said slips indicating purchases and sales of goods, and the class thereof, a series of record sheets each bearing indicia denoting one class only, each sheet being provided with spaces marked i'or the reception of data relative to total purchases and sales of goods in said class during a certain period of time, said sheets also carrying pockets adapted to receive said invoice and sales slips and marked to indicate the classiiication of said slips.

3. Means for maintaining Va perpetual inventory of goods grouped into classes, comprising, in combination With invoice slips and sales slips issued during the regular order of business, said slips indicating purchases and sales of goods, and the class thereof, a series of record sheets each bearing indicia denoting one class only, each sheet being provided with spaces marked for the reception of data relative to total purchases and sales of goods in said class during a certain period of time, and With spaces marked for the reception of data relative to the maximum and minimum amount of goods in said class to be kept in stock, said sheets also carrying pockets adapted to receive said invoice and sales slips and marked to indicate the classification of said slips.

Ll. Means for maintaining a perpetual inventory of goods grouped into classes, comprising a series of record sheets each bearing indicia denoting one class only, each sheet being provided With spaces marked for the reception of data relative to the total purchases and sales of goods in said class during a certain period of time, with similar spaces marked for data relative to the maximum and minimum amount of goods to be kept in stock, and with spaces marked for the reception of data relative to the percentage of profits on the sales ot' goods in said class during said period.

5. Means Jfor maintaining a perpetual inventory of goods grouped into classes, comprising a series of record sheets each bearing indicia denoting one class only, each sheet being provided With spaces marked for the reception of data relative to the total purchases and sales of goods in said class during a certain period of time, with similar spaces marked for data relative to the amount of goods in said class left in stock, With spaces marked for the reception of dat-a relative to the maximum and minimum amount of goods to be kept in stock, With spaces marked for the reception of data relative to the percentage of profits on the sales of goods in said class during said period, and With a space marked to receive data relative to the date of the next purchase of said goods.

6. Means for maintaining a perpetual inventory of goods grouped into classes, comprising a series of record sheets 'each bearing indicia denoting one class only, each sheet being provided With spaces marked for the reception of data relative to the total purchases and sales of goods in said class during a 4certain period of time, With similar spaces marked :tor data relative to the amount of goods in said class left in stock, with spaces marked for the reception of data relative to the maximum and minimum amount of goods to be kept in stock, with spaces marked for the reception of data relative to the percentage of profits on the sales of goods in said class during said period, With a space marked to receive data relative to the date of the next purchase of said goods, With a space marked to receive remarks relative to said goods, and pockets carried by said sheet marked for and adapted Vto receive purchase and sales slips covering the goods of said class.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature. AARON P. ROBINS DRUCKER. 

